"Our latest findings reveal a critical shift in the cybersecurity landscape," said Damon Fleury, chief product officer at SpyCloud. "Infostealers have become the go-to tool for cybercriminals, with their ability to exfiltrate valuable data in a matter of seconds, creating a runway for cyberattacks like ransomware off the vast amounts of stolen access to SSO, VPN, admin panels, and other critical applications."
According to SpyCloud, 61% of all data breaches in the past year were malware-related, with infostealers responsible for the theft of 343.78 million credentials. Each infection, on average, exposes 10-25 third-party business application credentials, creating fertile ground for further access and exploitation, particularly by ransomware operators.
The link between infostealers and ransomware is becoming increasingly evident. Through deep analysis of recaptured infostealer logs, SpyCloud discovered a worrying trend: companies with employees and contractors who are infected with infostealer malware are facing a significant risk of ransomware attacks, as the stolen credentials often lead to further exploitation.
The research also found that one in five individuals has been a victim of an infostealer infection. These stolen credentials are then sold in criminal communities for use in further attacks, highlighting the extensive scale of identity exposure caused by infostealers.
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